Hundreds of U.S. flights at Toronto’s two airports cancelled amid FAA’s ground stop order

Hundreds of flights at Toronto’s two airports were cancelled after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop order on Friday, according to CTV News.

Toronto Pearson International Airport, operated by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, reported no scheduled U.S.-bound departures or arrivals at the time and advised passengers to check with their airlines for the latest information.

The GTAA said international and domestic flights not requiring U.S. airspace transit would continue to operate, and it announced staffing increases to assist affected passengers, with additional resources in the U.S. departures area and a parking plan for aircraft.

The U.S. FAA attributed the ground stop order to communications problems at regional air traffic control centres. NAV Canada stated it briefly implemented traffic management measures at Pearson and three other major airports to safely manage traffic volumes, but noted no impact on its operations.

Pearson’s website indicated 50 U.S.-bound departures were cancelled and 59 American flights would not be arriving as scheduled. Air Canada and Porter Airlines at Billy Bishop Airport reported cancellations of all remaining Friday U.S.-inbound and outbound flights, while operations for airborne flights were said to be permitted to continue.